Top 10 Reasons Why Hotels Suck

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The top ten reasons why hotels suck:

CoastRentals.com, a division of the Find Your Escape Network, has issued its "Top 10 Reasons Why Hotels Suck" for 2007. For all the inherent hassles of booking and staying in a standard hotel room, CoastRentals proves that vacation rentals offer the perfect alternative - space, comfort and individuality.

We've all endured the pains of staying at hotels. No matter where you're visiting, your experience at the hotel has a profound effect on how the trip turns out. Here's CoastRentals.com's 2007 version of the top 10 reasons that hotels stink and cause headaches for innocent travelers who are just looking to enjoy themselves.

10. "Waiter, This Isn't the Room I Ordered."

We've all been through this one. Everyone's excited for the vacation to finally start, and naturally the first thing to do is head up to the hotel room to drop off the luggage. Upon opening the door of your hotel room, however, you discover that there has been a horrible, terrible mistake. This isn't the room you reserved. Maybe you wanted two single beds instead of one queen, or vice versa. Maybe you explicitly asked for a view of the ocean, and instead got a view of the murky pool.

9. Waking Up to the Sound of "Housekeeping!"

You stayed up late last night. And why not? You're on vacation! You deserve it. Now, all you want is to sleep in and maybe wake up sometime before the sun sets. But unsurprisingly, the hotel's housekeeper bangs on the door sometime in the early, early morning. Having to deal with housekeeping services in a hotel may seem like a trivial problem, but it's related to privacy in general.

8. Hassles at the Reception Desk.

In order to get into your hotel room, waiting in line at the reception desk is a must. During peak holiday seasons, these lines can sometimes be long and arduous. Furthermore, when checking in, some hotels require several forms of identification. In some instances, the concierge working the desk may even take reservations over the phone before speaking with customers in line. All in all, it can be a real mess.

7. Want to Use the Internet? That'll Cost You.

In this day in age, the internet plays a key role in our daily lives. Even when on vacation, some might need to keep checking their email, want to read the news, or keep track of other important information found on the internet. Fact is, getting internet access in a hotel is sketchy at best, and often expensive. It is not uncommon for large, nationwide hotel chains (and even smaller, upscale hotels) to charge between $10 and $20 for internet access per day. This exorbitant price can really add up over a week or more of vacation.

6. Pay-Per-View Can Make You Blue.

Sometimes the best way to relax after spending a day out on the town is with a movie. Hotels realize this, and offer guests the option of watching movies by purchasing them via a pay-per-view system. The problem is, these movies can often be $10+ per viewing! This is often more than you'd pay if you were to see the movie in a theater! Let's not even go over the possibility of your children finding the "Adult" section of the pay-per-view movies in a hotel room…

5. Problematic Parking.

Hotels are built to cater to hundreds of people at a time. As such, guests are usually required to park in a large lot. This can be stressful for a number of reasons. Hotel guests are often forced to park in a section of the parking lot where their car will not be visible from their hotel room. This can be disconcerting as criminals know that hotel guests often keep valuable luggage in their cars, making hotel parking lots prime locations for breaking into vehicles. To make matters worse, some upscale hotels in urban centers may even charge the hotel guests extra for parking!

4. Additional Charges for Everything.

The mini-bar is a testament to the power of capitalism. Here, right in your hotel room, is a tiny refrigerator full of snacks, drinks, alcohol, and sometimes even aspirin or socks. However, while each of these products might be reasonably priced in your neighborhood grocery store, they are outrageously expensive in the mini-bar. Why do hotels charge so much for a tiny bottle of liquor or a few cookies? The convenience of having these items right in your hotel room. Just another example of how hotels will charge extra for absolutely anything. Need to do some laundry? You'll probably have to pay a fee.

3. Noisy Neighbors.

This is an easy one. When staying in a hotel, the walls of your room are usually shared by another room. In some hotel setups, as many as three of your walls may be shared. Depending on the quality of the construction, these walls can range from quite thick to paper-thin. In cases of the latter, this means you'll be hearing everything your fellow guests are doing. This may include partying, yelling, arguing, drinking, snoring, using filthy language, or other illicit activities - many inappropriate for younger members of the family. Furthermore, this is just another facet of the lack of privacy in most hotels. Keep this in mind: with all those people so close, they'll be hearing everything you're doing too. An unsettling thought, but unfortunately one that most hotel guests will have to deal with at some point.

2. Size Matters.

Let's face it, hotel rooms are small. This may seem shocking at first, but it's true. In fact, just one bedroom in a vacation rental may be bigger than a standard hotel room. Imagine how much more comfortable you'd be on vacation if you had an entire house to call your own instead of a tiny, stuffy, ugly hotel room.

1. The Question of Cleanliness.

Several studies performed in the last decade have proven that hotel rooms are some of the least clean public places. These studies have gotten a lot of exposure in various media outlets, from the evening news to national magazines. And they're not wrong: from the bed to the doorknob to the remote control, hotel rooms can be havens for germs, bacteria and other disgusting things. The sheer amount of people that stay in large hotels should be proof enough that there will be a lot of mileage on those bedsheets, showers, and other items. Yes, most hotels employ cleaning services, but there is no telling how often they clean a room, or how well. Just because a bed is made properly doesn't mean it's sanitary.

Quite the list of unpleasantries. In fact, nearly all hotel stays will have you fighting through a majority of these inconveniences - so what's the alternative? Vacation rentals, which is just a broad term for all kinds of lodging types that are for rent in vacation spots (including homes, condos, townhomes, apartments, cabins, etc.), offer up great alternatives to all the downfalls of themodern hotel. Parking, ample space, privacy, no "add-on" charges, and cleanliness are all a step above when you're talking about vacation properties.

You also can easily find properties that cater to your particular tastes and needs for your vacation. You'll likely have a much more enjoyable experience and you'll save money to boot.

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